Blight of Arendelle
by QM382
Summary: Following Elsa's return to power, the kingdom is once again peaceful. All seems quiet... until a monstrous, flying creature appears over the horizon, with an army of darkspawn soldiers at its back. The Queen and her royal court must defeat this new threat before Arendelle is destroyed.
1. Chapter 1: Archdemon

Pirate captain Thomas McNally stood on the quarterdeck of his 44-gun frigate, the _Forsaken_. The sun was rising off in the east, the wind blew in steadily from the northwest, and the swells bristled with whitecaps as the breeze drove them onwards. Over the stern flew the _Forsaken_'s black battle standard: a skeletal pirate crushing a crown. Weeks ago, the pirate ship had set off from the tropical Caribbean, bound for arctic waters. The men who worked the deck now wore heavy wool jackets over their clothing. To Thomas, it seemed as though the crew's morale dropped along with the temperature. Perhaps some time ashore would lighten their mood. Warm ale and a woman's touch could boost any man's spirit.

Anthony, a wizard of great skill and renown, emerged from below and joined Thomas on the quarterdeck. The wizard wore leather shoes, dark breeches with many pockets, a flowing blue cloak, and glasses. His rather drab attire stood in stark contrast to Thomas' blue, neatly prepared uniform. Also unlike his fellow, Thomas wore a sword belt, onto which a dagger and golden longsword were fastened. A pair of pistols were holstered across his chest.

"Good morning, Thomas," Anthony greeted the captain. "A fine day, isn't it?"

"Indeed, Tony," Thomas agreed. "How is our guest faring?"

"Sir Lenard is well. He's eager to see his home again."

"Good to know."

Sir Lenard was a knight from the northern kingdom of Arendelle. He came aboard the _Forsaken_ weeks ago, looking to enlist the services of Anthony, Thomas, and the _Forsaken_'s crew. The knight claimed that his homeland was under some extreme threat. An army, he informed them, was marching across the kingdom, led by a colossal flying creature, possibly a dragon. Where this army was from, what their motivations were, and who commanded them were not made clear. Thomas could only hope that arriving in Arendelle would change that.

As the two men conversed, Sir Lenard climbed up on deck, clad in his suit of chainmail and wearing his longsword. Anthony motioned the knight up to the quarterdeck, where he joined the Captain and the wizard.

"Good morning Sir Lenard," said Thomas in greeting. "Did you sleep well?"

"About as well as one can on this craft," Lenard said in a gruff voice. He clearly wasn't accustomed to ocean travel.

"That's a shame," Anthony commented.

"Are we near Arendelle?"

"A few hours away," Thomas confirmed. "The coast is already coming over the southern horizon. You'll be home soon."

"Very good. Once we're ashore, I'll make sure that you get an audience with Queen Elsa. She ordered me to seek you out, after all."

A tremendous roar sounded off in the distance, loud and threatening. Sir Lenard put a hand on his longsword's hilt.

"I... know that call," he whispered with a hint of fear.

The roar sounded again. A great beast emerged over the southern horizon. Despite the distance, Thomas clearly made out the creature's horse-like head, bat-like wings, four legs, and long, sweeping tail. Violet fire shot from the monster''s mouth.

"What... is that?" Anthony asked.

Sir Lenard cleared his throat. "That, my friend, is the dragon I told you of."

The dragon circled and began flying north, straight towards the pirate ship. Sir Lenard drew his longsword.

"Beat to quarters!" Thomas shouted. "All hands prepare for battle!"

The pirates scrambled to their respective stations. Arms were distributed, gunports opened, cannons loaded and run out, and the decks were sanded. Within a minute, the _Forsaken_ and her crew were ready for combat.

Thomas drew his spyglass and watched as the dragon neared his ship. In doing so he got his first good look at this deadly new adversary. The beast was covered in violet, sharp, pointed scales, giving it a menacing appearance. Its eyes were ghostly white, and without pupils. A series of horns jutted back from the dragon's head. Again the monster roared and breathed its violet, unnatural fire. Thomas stowed his spyglass and ordered a hard turn to port.

"Aim high!" Thomas yelled to the gunners.

Anthony raised his hands and launched bolts of lightening at the dragon as the beast hurtled at ship. While some bolts missed, those that struck the dragon didn't phase the beast at all. The ship's starboard broadside now faced the incoming dragon.

"Fire!" Thomas yelled.

Twenty-two guns boomed to life and let fly, belching smoke and spitting iron. The ship shuddered and rolled to port as the cannons discharged. Splashes sprang up when cannonballs struck the water's surface. The dragon, much to Thomas' disappointment, appeared unscathed, despite being hit by at least three cannonballs. Had the dragon healed itself, or did the shots miss? Before the crew could take any further action, the flying monster was upon the ship.

"Down!" Thomas shouted. "All hands down!"

Every man aboard hit the deck. The dragon, skimming the waves, unleashed a breath of fire on the pirate ship. Thomas felt the fire's heat scalding against his skin. Men screamed in pain and terror as a wave of heat swept across the main deck, setting fire to rigging, sails, and clothing. Anthony jumped to his feet and conjured water from his fingertips, extinguishing the flames and wetting the deck. Off to port, the triumphant dragon climbed high in the air, turned south, and vanished over the horizon.

Thomas stood back up, along with Sir Lenard. Anthony had left the quarterdeck and was now tending to the wounded, leaving the knight and the Captain alone.

"That monster threatens your entire kingdom?" Thomas asked the knight. "It's pretty clear why you claimed as such."

"Yes. But it isn't alone. As I mentioned, there is an army that follows it."

"An army of dragons?"

"No. The soldiers in this army resemble men, but are not men. They're best described as a cruel mockery of mankind."

Anthony returned to the quarterdeck after an hour. "Thomas, I believe I know what attacked our ship."

"I know, Tony. A dragon."

"Yes, but no ordinary dragon. According to my sources, that beast was an 'archdemon.'"

"It's a whatdemon?"

"An archdemon. It's a dragon that's been... corrupted, turned into an instrument of destruction. The army that Sir Lenard mentioned are called 'darkspawn.'"

"That's correct," said Sir Lenard. "This 'archdemon' and its army have been devastating the nation's countryside for months. It's only a matter of time before they march on Arendelle's capital city."

"We won't allow that to happen, Sir," Thomas reassured him. "If Queen Elsa wishes these darkspawn stopped, that's exactly what she'll get."

"She wouldn't ask for anything less."

The damaged _Forsaken_ limped onwards until the city of Arendelle came into view. Hours later, the ship dropped anchor in the harbor. The pirate crew, their Captain, the wizard, and the knight were all safe once again. At least for the time being.


	2. Chapter 2: Queen Elsa

The remaining leg of the long journey from Misthaven and the Caribbean Isles after saving those lands from the Evil Queen Regina, they now had to save Queen Elsa's homeland far up north, almost at the poles. The weather took a turn for the worse. Anthony could feel the change in his magical blood, coming from the Land of Oz as it's King, he could sense things such as nature and darkness. The air was heavy to him, heavy with regret, sorrow and fear. Fog rolled in but it was not any ordinary fog. It was a thick black mist could that had the low altitude of just a few hundred meters, and made the surrounding now blackened lands beneath colder and more brittle. As the mighty and majestic _Foresaken_ approached the Winter Harbor that led straight to the docks at the foot of the Reigning Monarch's castle, Anthony changed his attire as temperatures were now in the low 20's. He now wore a sapphire blue cloak with big sterling silver buttons on the cuffs of the sleeves, dark brown leather boots, dark breeches with a plethora of pockets to contain his magical items, and a regal cut silver tunic under the cloak that shimmered like chainmail. On his head he wore the emerald crown from Oz, as he was still King and felt his enemies should be aware with whom they're dealing. He also hoped it would make Queen Elsa easier to relate, royal to royal. On his left hand he wore a large gold ring on his middle finger that was the shape of a skull, and granted him the ability to cast a new very powerful spell, but one he hadn't tried yet. Thomas changed his attire now as well. He wore a long thick dark red wool merchant captain's overcoat with big gold leaf buttons, a ruffled linen shirt and a strapping leather vest. He wore fairly high boots to trudge through expected levels of snow, and black and silver lined gloves on his hands. Around his narrow waist and over his broad shoulders were holsters, pouches and sheaths for his flintlock pistols, smoke and cherry bombs, and swords respectively. Atop his blonde head he wore a striking dark black velvet tricorner hat with big white feathers and a touch of gold on the front. There was no question, one was a powerful, regal wizard, and the other an equally powerful pirate captain and lord.

With the _Forsaken_ moored safely at the quay, Sir Lenard escorted Captain McNally and Anthony into the city. Around them townsfolk went about their daily business, not paying any mind to the new arrivals. Foreigners came and went daily from Arendelle, and these two were no different in the eyes of the locals. Thomas and Tony both examined their surroundings as they walked. Tony noticed a child gleefully playing a game of fetch with a furry, black dog, while Thomas eyed an inn with a tankard on its outdoor sign. The city appeared clean and properly maintained. A welcome change compared to the rickety shacks and sandy streets of the tropics. The Royal Castle loomed directly ahead of the three men. The fortress itself was situated on an island joined to the mainland by a pair of bridges. The southern bridge served as a causeway, while the eastern bridge was actually an extension of the harbor's sea wall. A stout perimeter wall surrounded the central keep, with seven towers built into it. Banners displaying the Royal badge - a golden crocus - hung from the wall's south side, flanking the main gate, which was wide open.

The trio entered the castle's main courtyard, finding it crowded with nobles and commoners alike. All were seeking an audience with Queen Elsa. Many had sighted the archdemon flying off to the north. No doubt most of today's visitors had problems relating to the kingdom's war against the darkspawn.

Sir Lenard approached the castle's main entrance. The young guardsman at the door recognized him right away.

"Greetings, Sir Lenard," said the guard. "How were your travels?" The Guard swiftly glanced at Wizard Anthony, and then at Captain McNally. They both gave an unhindered glance back at the guard to show who held the real power.

"Well enough, Daniel," Lenard replied. "Now open that door up. My companions and I are to answer a summons with the Queen."

"Her Majesty is not yet holding court."

Lenard leaned closer threateningly. "This is a military matter, boy. Let us through or face a court-marshal," Lenard said.

"Did you not hear him right? The Queen has asked to see us. Are you truly going to disobey her?" Anthony tried to raise a hand and conjure a convincing fireball, but Captain McNally stopped his friend with his own hand, shaking his head. "No," he whispered.

Daniel relented. "Very well, make it quick," he said as he opened the door. Anthony snapped his fingers which slightly echoed, and the guard fell to the stone floor asleep like a baby, and snoring like a grandfather.

"Tony, did you really need to do that?" asked the pirate.

"You can't tell me he wasn't annoying!" The two friends laughed, and walked into the castle.

Thomas, Lenard, and Tony found themselves in the castle's entrance hall. A butler dressed in a fine red suit greeted them. Lenard informed the butler of their business with the Queen. The butler instructed them to wait, disappeared up a staircase, then returned a short time later.

"Her Majesty will accept you in her study," said the butler. "This way, please."

The butler led them to a rather small but decorated room in the castle's east wing. A fireplace, two bookcases, a desk, and three plush chairs occupied the space. Standing by the fireplace, facing the doorway, was Elsa, Queen of Arendelle. Her signature blue dress flowed elegantly around her petite body, while her blonde hair hung loose down past her shoulders. She had let her trademark braid go, and now let her beautiful pale blonde hair fall to her biceps still wavy from the length of time she kept the braids. Snowflakes glistened in her hair like stars, and her frosty gown sparkled in the room like a great blue diamond. She turned to face the two men as they entered the room, her gentle blue eyes first meeting Tony's, then Thomas'. Both the captain and the wizard offered slight bows, which Elsa graciously returned.

"I'm sorry about the cold, it's just never bothered me. It is so nice to finally meet you both! I have heard all about your heroic adventures, and that's actually why I called you here to help my kingdom with your skills. You know my name, but we haven't properly met yet. My name is Elsa." Queen Elsa looked like she wanted to give the two heroes hugs, she was so warmly welcoming to them.

"The honor is mine, and my name is Anthony I am King of Oz and this man's best friend and brother," Tony bowed at the neck.

"Enchanted, my lady. My name is Thomas McNally I am Captain of the realm-jumping frigate,_ Forsaken_," Captain McNally bowed as well.

"Anyway Gentlemen, we're fortunate to have you here," said the young queen. "As you know, Arendelle is in great peril. Darkspawn march across our land, killing everyone in their path. Our people are frightened, displaced, and uncertain. Worst of all, an archdemon leads the darkspawn horde. My kingdom has fallen victim to a Blight. But I fear there may be something worse happening to my people with the introduction of these little monsters. I fear they may be turning my good-hearted people dark, adding them to their already large numbers."

"We understand, your Majesty," Tony chimed in. "My friend and I encountered the archdemon as we made our approach to the city. It attacked our ship, then flew off without sinking us. We struck back but the beast fled the fight before the end. Curious."

"The archdemon still lives?" Elsa asked.

Tony frowned. "I'm afraid so, your Majesty." He hated being the bearer of bad news. "We scarcely even wounded it. I know a spell that can give this winged freak numerous amounts of damage but it is hard to focus it's target, and I haven't been able to try it yet because the spell takes time to cast, and the beast is a swift flier. But worry not, majesty."

"It was not for lack of effort in trying to rid this world of that beast, though," Thomas added. "Rest assured on that, your Majesty. Is there a chance we can confront the horde itself? A massive army will be tough to hide. And if we meet the darkspawn in open battle, the archdemon is sure to join them. Then we'll have a chance at bringing the beast down."

The Queen gestured towards her desk, pointing at a map resting on its polished, oaken surface. She motioned for the two men to follow, which they did, and all three then stood around the desk, studying the map. Thomas immediately began to memorize the various rivers and waterways, in case the _Forsaken_ had a chance of navigating them. Tony made note of the mountain ranges, valleys, and passes, aware that the darkspawn army would need to navigate around or, as with the valleys, through them. The major population centers - cities, towns, and villages - were also of prime concern. It was there that the darkspawn army could inflict the most damage upon both the people, and the country's infrastructure.

"As you know, the Archdemon was last sighted here." Elsa pointed to the ocean near the capital.

"And where the Archdemon is," Tony added, "the darkspawn horde can't be far behind."

"Agreed," said Thomas. "Your Majesty, where did the blight begin?"

"On the southern coast." Elsa put a finger on the country's south shore. "From there they advanced northeast, killing everyone in their path and laying waste to the land.

"Form the South? Is it possible that Hans and his brothers have a hand in this?" asked the blue wizard.

"It's possible, but not likely. My sister and I have defeated him twice now. I think it would be embarrassing for him as a man to try to go after me and my sister again!" She laughed and so did Anthony. Thomas remained serious, not taking the matter lightly.

"There has to be someone or something that opened a door to this land for the darkspawn, though. I swear. They are only pawns, the don't really make their own decisions. There has to be some lea..." Anthony put a hand to his head and stepped backwards, his mind now racing. "I'm sorry my head... just give me a second." He asked their pardon.

"How the darkspawn came to Arendelle isn't our main priority," Thomas said. "We must deal with the horde first." The pirate captain pointed to a broad mountain pass roughly one hundred miles southwest of Arendelle's capital city. "What is the name of this pass? It appears that the darkspawn need to cross through it if they are to reach the city."

Elsa took notice. "That is Walter's Pass. It's an old thoroughfare that connects the capital with the settlements in the southwest."

"It also looks like the best place to confront the darkspawn head-on," said Tony. "If we stop them there, we can put a serious dent in their numbers. And possibly kill the Archdemon, while we're at it."

Elsa nodded approvingly. "I shall mobilize the army straight away. Tonight we march for Walter's Pass. All three of us. Now please take your leave, gentlemen. And prepare yourselves for a long journey, with a battle at the end."

Thomas and Tony both bowed respectfully and departed the chamber, leaving Queen Elsa of Arendelle alone with her thoughts.

* * *

"What was all that about? Get a headache did you? I mean sure she's beautiful, but Anthony she's just a tad out of your league, don't you think?" The two friends laughed.

"No, but seriously, Thomas. That wasn't the problem. I think I figured out how the darkspawn were able to come here in the first place. That archdemon we faced and who is leading the darkspawn horde may be no archdemon at all. I think her name is Flemeth," said the wizard.


	3. Chapter 3: The General

With the sun just peaking above the eastern horizon, the Royal Army of Arendelle began to rise from slumber. The camp, located south of the city, was a sprawling complex surrounded by a wooden palisade that covered several square miles, containing any and all the equipment and personnel that an army could need. Numerous white tents were arranged in orderly rows, with roads between them, allowing men afoot or on horseback to pass through. Officers quarters, marked by raised pavilions, stood to the north, by the camp's main entrance. Southeast were the blacksmith's tents, housing the men responsible for maintaining the army's equipment. To west stood the army's stables. The camp contained twelve thousand people at present, along with thousands of horses, but was capable of housing many more.

General Kent Harald emerged from his personal tent into the chilled morning. A tall man with broad shoulders and a hard, mustached face, the General had spent his entire career in the military, enlisting at the age of eighteen and earning a commission at twenty-five. A gray woolen cloak hung over his shoulders and was wrapped around his upper body, almost concealing his uniform, also colored grey. His black leather boots, freshly polished, shined like bronze in the sunlight. The hilt of his scabbared cavalry saber jutted out from beneath the cloak on his left side, where it hung from his sword belt. Harald's appearance gave him the look of a seasoned, professional soldier, one who favored combat over politics (which he did).

Cookfires were lit and pots of water were boiled as soldiers and officers alike prepared their morning meals. A horn sounded twice from the watchtower at the main entrance. _Once for friends, twice for royalty, thrice for foes_, Harald thought, recalling the standing orders of the sentry. Those orders had been in effect long before Harald joined the army. The general called for his aides, ordering them to prepare quarters for the royal party before making his way to the gate.

The camps, broad, sturdy wooden gates were already being dragged open as the General approached. Just beyond, the Queen and her escort of thirty guards waited, their mounts halted. Queen Elsa herself, wearing an embroidered blue dress beneath a matching woolen cloak, stood at the head of the party, mounted atop a white mare. Trailing the Queen were two young men that Harald had never seen before. One was a tall, skinny man with fair skin and short dark hair. He wore a blue naval officer's uniform with a tricorner hat, black leather boots and blue trousers, plus leather gauntlets and cuirass. A brown cloak of heavy wool billowed behind him. Two pistols were holstered on his cuirass. A pair of swords - one straight and one curved - hung from his sword belt. The second of the two men was also fair of skin and dark-haired, but noticeably shorter. He wore a sapphire blue cloak over his silver woolen tunic and black velvet pants, which were tucked inside of white polished ivory boots. The several pockets on his trousers and jacket seemed filled fit to bursting. Harald noticed - to his mild surprise - that the man was also completely unarmed. Who were these men? And why were they accompanying the Queen?

The two strangers followed close together on horseback just behind the Queen of Arendelle. General Harald looked onward, slowly moving his position periodically to keep an eye on the two.

The Queen let out a hand and a swirl of snowy magic swirled out of her palm, and moments later it began to snow, but the snowflakes danced around each other in pairs as they fell to the ground, and made the snow look like glitter. The nearby children loved it, and the parents smiled, seeing how happy it made their children. The fair man in the strapping tricorner hat would periodically doff his hat in the acknowledgement of a waving maiden. The other man stayed to himself and rode close to his associate. Every now and then the two men behind Queen Elsa would nod their heads in a sort of salute to each other. General Harald had the impression just from looking at the two interact with each other that they were close, and right he was.

The two friends had crossed realms, fought terrible villains, protected each other, and survived insane adventures together. The two men wondered excitedly what this new adventure would bring, and it made the blue and silver clad man smile. Suddenly, the movement was abruptly stopped with the sudden arrival of commotion. The pirate and the wizard wondered why none of the guards noticed...A focused circle or people ion the crowds to The Captain's right became louder and louder and the crowd parted ways to let the crazed person yelling approach them. Again they both wondered why were none of the Queen's guards paying attention? Captain McNally covered the but of his pistol with one hand while Anthony readied his magic, his eyes slowly beginning to glow blue.

A young woman had jumped close enough for the three of them to see her face. She had no eyes, her nails were bright crimson red, and her hair was two toned white and orange tied in a falling apart bun. Around her neck was ruby studded choker necklace. The wizard could not discern whether she was old or young. She she had scars all over her arms, and her dress was a black cocktail, dress fit for a funeral. Captain McNally noticed she had tan lines on her wrists which meant she had come from the warmer southern isles, and was also previously in prison...

"Beware ye three!

Oh it's to death two of ye shall be!

whom to die the answer is nigh,

Strike for love, strike for fear,

beware ye three!

'tis two of ye, to death it shall be."

The strange woman punched both the pirate and the wizard totally unconscious but instead of blacking out like they should, they merely shook their heads, the strange woman disappeared, and the crowd was silent as it was a few minutes ago. It was as if nothing had happened at all, but the two of them knew otherwise.

"Who the hell was that? You saw her right?" Captain McNally the wizard could tell he was quite worried, and fearing the worst may come or at least was spoken of.

"I don't know my friend! I definitely heard her too, not just saw. But why were we the only ones who noticed?"

"What the hell did she mean 'beware you three and two of you are going to die'?"

"I don't know but I swear to you I will not ever let you die. You are my brother and I love you like my own family. I promise to defend you. At all times. No matter what the hell happens I'm not leaving." Anthony the Wizard grabbed a handful of snow with one hand and with the other, motioned the empty hand over it. The snow constructed it's self in a swirl of shimmering light into the shape of McNally's ship, the _Forsaken. _The detail was incredible: rigging, billowing sails, and it sailed through the air over to his friend. The ship landed in Thomas' palm before crumpling into snowflakes.

Suddenly there was an echoing roar throughout the land. Anthony the wizard looked out ahead of them. Queen Elsa's horse was riderless, it's owner nowhere to be seen, and a dragon had emerged over the nearby mountains, flying low to the ground. The dragon breathed a different elemental damage each time it struck the snow covered fields.

"Ready for our next monster bash?!" Anthony the sorcerer asked excitedly.

"Let's get her!" The captain said.

In a daring maneuver, the two skilled friends spurned their horses forward, racing to outmatch the speed of the Dragon. Before it hit the ground, Anthony dismounted and levitated higher and higher in the snowy sky. He was trying to clip this lizards wings to make it easier to fight.

"What the devil... He's gone mad!"

Again and again Anthony threw fireballs, ice spears, poison arrows and lightning bolts at the dragon's winged back. Wounds appeared, but nothing seemed to stop the beast. Then suddenly, Captain McNally noticed the dragon disappearing into the thick snowstorm clouds. For a minute, it seemed as though the dragon had departed.

"We did it Thomas! Now let's find Queen Elsa," Anthony yelled back to his friend on the ground.

"Anthony behind you!" Thomas fired a shot at the dragon who had reappeared but this time flying so fast it was hard to see clearly. The dragon was darting downwards, it would have been impossible to dodge no matter what action you took. The dragon's tail twirled around and like a slingshot, punched Anthony in the gut like a scaled battering ram. Anthony instantly had the wind beat out of him, and lost his magical focus, his eyes returned to dark brown, and he dropped the levitation spell, and fell down towards the fields. His torn up robe fell off first as he descended head first, now almost unconscious.

"No, not today my friend, not now," Thomas told himself. He pushed his horse to a gallop, riding as fast and as hard as he could to try and catch his falling friend from the sky. Anthony was fading in and out so all he could think to do was create a huge pool or lake but one with warm water that would be relaxing in this situation. Thomas and his mount instantly fell into the randomly conjured lake. Swimming back out, horse in tow, Thomas could only hope that the lake wouldn't kill Anthony on impact. There was nothing to do, nothing that could be done but wait the sickening, eternity-feeling seconds until aquatic impact. Finally there was a splash, only Anthony didn't resurface. Thomas waited, still no bobbing head or flailing arms.

Thomas threw off his cloak and hid his pistols in the cloak beside the lake. Then he took off his wool jacket as the weight would drag him down too. He dove into the lake and strained his eyes to find his friend. Towards the bottom, he could see the dark brown head of Anthony. With all his might he pulled as hard as he could to bring them both back to the surface, but his air was getting low too. Screaming with muffled bubbles escaping his lips, he would not give up this fight. Finally with the loudest and most grateful gasp for air he had ever taken, he resurfaced and pulled his friend to the side of the lake. The only problem now was they were both soaking wet, in snowy weather. Shivering vigorously, suffering from stage 3 hypothermia, Thomas tried to wake his friend up. Still no response. Then Thomas gave him chest compressions, and finally Anthony coughed up the water that had surrounded his lungs.

"Dude, that dragon threw me and I flew! Did ya see me?" was all Anthony could say, and Thomas, through his blue lips and frosty eyebrows, laughed and hugged him close. The dragon landed hard on the ground beside them and they could tell fire was coming next as the dragon crawled it's way closer to them, and burning embers swirled around its smoking nostrils and red glowing jaw.

"Dig in my pocket, smash the orb, say Elsa" Anthony struggled to say now he too was shivering ferociously and had frosted features. Thomas dug into the pocket of Anthony's left leg to find the magic orb of "puff puff juice." These were tools from Oz, the land Anthony hailed from. If smashed while thinking of a location, they would act as a teleportation device.

Thomas said, "Quwuh...eeen Elllllsssahhh" and smashed the blue crystal on his friends' chest the way he'd seen Anthony do it before. There was a flash of bright blue lightning that formed a v shape, and clapped together with a bang and in a swirl of lightning and blue mist, the two were gone.

* * *

"To arms!" the General shouted as he drew his saber. "All hands make ready for combat!"

A war horn sounded three times atop the palisade's watchtower, signaling a general alarm. The camp became suddenly ablaze with activity. The camp followers hurried back inside the palisade. Soldiers rushed from their tents, weapons in hand, forming ranks beyond the camp's perimeter. Cavalrymen hurried to saddle and mount their horses. Artillerymen limbered up their caissons and cannons to teams of waiting horses. Harald mounted his own horse - a black destrier named Gunner - and rode outside gates. Despite the dragon's sudden appearance, the men showed little panic. Harald had instructed his officers to drill their men on making ready for combat rapidly, and now those orders were paying off.

The dragon circled overhead, battling ferociously with the wizard. The Queen's Guard, still mounted, looked on, clearly dumbfounded, as did the young man in a naval officer's jacket. Oueen Elsa herself was nowhere in sight. Where had she gone? Alarm surged up in the General's chest, but he quickly forced it down. The dragon had to be dealt with before efforts could turn to locating the Queen.

The dragon, moving at an incredible speed, rammed its horned tail into the wizard's gut, causing him to fall. The man in a navy uniform gave chase, as did the Queen's Guard. A lake appeared ahead of them, which the wizard fell into. The guardsmen halted their mounts, but the officer - dismounted - dove in and dragged the drowning man to shore. The dragon landed heavily on the lakeshore nearest the camp, ready to kill. Just as the dragon reared up for an attack, both the wizard and the officer vanished in a flash of blue light. The dragon exhaled a tremendous breath of fire but scorched nothing but snow. The Queen's Guard, finding themselves facing a dragon alone, wisely began to retreat, riding at a full gallop back towards the camp. The dragon unleashed another breath of fire in their direction, causing several of the guardsmen to fall, their bodies and horses aflame.

Around Harald, the army had formed up. Infantry were stood ready on his right, artillery on his left, and the cavalry directly ahead. The dragon, though still a danger, was bloodied. Harald noticed several injuries on its scaled hide, one of which was bleeding profusely. Hopefully his men could defeat the beast with little loss to their own number.

"Artillery open fire," Harald barked. "Infantry, all forward."

Cannons began belching smoke and booming like thunder. Steel cannonballs whistled through the air, smashing into the dragon's hide with tremendous force. The dragon roared in pain as the cannonballs struck home. As ordered, the infantry advanced toward the beast at a walk, their weapons unshouldered. Once they came within musket, they opened fire as well, raining bullets into the dragon's hide and wings. Again the dragon roared, trying to attack, but to no avail. The beast wouldn't last much longer.

"Cavalry, advance at a charge! Finish that monster."

The cavalrymen surged forward, lances lowered for killing. But as Harald watched, the dragon... shrank. Then it began to shapeshift. Seconds later, what had once been a devastating predator turned into the body of an old woman. The cavalry came to a halt just ten feet away from her body. Harald spurned his horse to investigate. She was indeed old. The woman's weathered face bore many lines and wrinkles, likely from having lived a physically demanding life. She wore a plain brown dress, stained dark red from various wounds across her body. Long white hair flowed down to her waist. A cavalry officer was kneeling in the snow beside her. He looked up at Harald as he approached. "She's still alive, sir," said the young officer. "Barely."

"Good. Take her into custody, then bring her to the doctor. If we're to understand just why she attacked, she must remain alive."

The officer stood up and saluted. Harald returned the salute, then turned to leave. Another thought crossed his mind as he did so.

"Someone try to find the Queen."


	4. Chapter 4: An Old Enemy

A flash of blue light faded to reveal the drenched, hypothermic, unconscious bodies of Anthony and Thomas. For several minutes they remained still. With effort, Thomas managed to force himself awake. He promptly checked Anthony's body for a pulse. His blood stilled flowed. Thomas let out a sigh of relief, knowing that his friend was going to survive. Just then, Tony opened his eyes as well.

"Where are we?" the wizard asked in a near-whisper.

"I do not know, friend," said Thomas. "But I certainly want to know."

The two men had landed in a clearing, the ground clear of snow. A pile of ash surrounded by rocks occupied the center of the clearing. Someone had made camp here before. Towering evergreen trees surrounded the two men. Thomas eyed their surroundings warily. Any tree could potentially have an enemy hiding behind it. About twenty meters to the left, the forest appeared to end abruptly. Why? No matter. It could wait until he and Anthony were warm again.

Anthony pointed a finger at the fire pit, and flames appeared in it. The two companions sat in silence, letting the heat seep back into their flesh.

A stick broke at the clearing's edge. Thomas jumped to his feet and drew his swords in the same motion, facing the direction of the disturbance. Anthony stood up and readied a spell.

"Stay your weapons." a familiar voice called.

As the two men watched, Queen Elsa emerged from behind a tree. The young Queen still wore the blue dress and cloak that she had during the ride from Arendelle, though her garments were now dirtied and torn in several places. Her blond hair, also dirtied, was tied back in a bun. A cut, still dripping blood, was visible on her left cheek. Despite her disheveled appearance, Elsa still managed to appear regal.

"Your majesty?" asked the wizard.

"Yes. Now please, lower your weapons."

Thomas sheathed his blades while Anthony withdrew his spell. "Now," the Queen continued, "what are you two doing out here?"

"We came here to find you," said the pirate. "Master Anthony's teleportation magic brought us to you."

The Queen nodded. "I see. And what of the dragon?"

"I tried to kill it." Anthony muttered, shaking his head.

"And nearly got himself killed." Thomas added. "Last we saw of the dragon, your majesty, It was still alive."

Elsa breathed a sigh of regret, looking down, then returned her gaze forward. "I trust you're wondering why I fled?"

The men nodded.

"Well, when the dragon appeared, I knew that I needed to act faster and..." she trailed off, looking over her shoulder to where the forest ended. "Come," she said, "you must see this for yourselves."

She turned, walking toward the edge of the forest. Thomas and Anthony obediently followed.

The forest ended at the edge of a broad cliff towering thousands of feet in the air. A mountain valley of woodlands, farms, and villages stretched out before them. The valley stretched from southwest to northeast, and was flanked by peaks and cliffs on both sides. It would have made for a majestic sight, had the farms and villages not been smoldering ruins. Much of the forest was blackened and sickly, as if the land itself had taken ill. Marching up the valley's center was the largest army that any of them had ever seen. Hundreds of thousands of bodies were on the move, with tens of thousands carrying torches. Before them fled panicked refugees, hoping to stay alive. Thomas felt his heart sink as he watched. Down in that valley was a force to wipe nations off the map. To turn entire races into twisted slaves. To corrupt the very earth upon which they strode.

The darkspawn horde.

It had come to Arendelle.

"This..." Elsa began, but couldn't bring herself to finish. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Is a problem." Anthony finished for her.

Thomas put an arm around Elsa's shoulders as she quietly began to sob. "My Queen, I am so sorry."

Just then, an arrow landed in tree beside Anthony's head. His eyes lit bright blue as magic surged into him. He could see the targets. It was just two figures, one archer and one with a mace.

Elsa raised her hands, both of them with a frosty mist billowing out of her palms slightly. Thomas stood beside Tony and the Queen.

"Hold, we don't even know who it is yet." Anthony, with his eyes still glowing blue, he was confident that only two humanoid figures would approach. Suddenly, the ground shook, and the trees fell. All the clouds left the sky, and like a desert, the sunlight and heat intensified immensely. Within seconds all of them were panting and sweating. The trees slowly fried and turned brown before their eyes, then the rumbling got more intense.

"Something's coming! Don't run until we see who or what it is!" Tony said. He wanted to magically let all of them wear weather appropriate clothing as the velvet and armor was weighing down on their warm sweating bodies.

Suddenly the rumbling stopped and instantly the cliff edge they were standing on was covered by storm clouds, and they were surrounded by darkness. Anthony had a sharp pain in his heart, and he moaned and groaned in waves of agony. Thomas felt like his skin was melting and he too started grunting with pain. Elsa was totally oblivious to whatever was afflicting the other two. She was frightened and confused. Anthony was confused as well, but then everything changed. All of the trees surrounding them suddenly burst into flames and incinerated in seconds, and they saw that they were not alone. Elsa was terrified, and inadvertently froze herself with fear, literally. The disgusting, growling, snarling beasts had open wounds that glowed yellow and dripped in a terrible muck, their eyes had been slashed and torn to shreds, their skin was a thick tough rubbery-looking material and they had blunt jagged fangs and claws. The smell was that of ash, sulfur, and rotten eggs. They were red, purple, yellow and black in color, and were at least seven feet tall. They were darkspawn, of the 'hurlock' type. The two darkspawn that Anthony saw were emissaries, spreaders of the Taint that Darkspawn infect good people with to turn them into ghouls , adding to their army. The villages and farms that were scorched below? The work of the monsters that greeted them now. There were at least thirty of them, and finally it dawned on Anthony. The darkspawn had detected his magic, and manipulated his vision to protect themselves. Tony told Thomas this in his head. He grabbed his brother's wrist.

"Thomas, we must be wise in our next moves, any mistake and the three of us could be killed, or worse..." He trailed off.

"Turned into ghouls," Thomas finished. They both swallowed, trying to control their fear.

In the middle of their, cluster of demons, the darkspawn parted as if to make a path for someone else. One particular darkspawn - a humanoid hybrid - emerged. He had black horns atop his head that spiraled like a ram's, but ended in a rounded point like a mammoth's tusks. Apart from the horns, the rest of him was meager, but no less unusual. He wore a pinstripe black suit and a silver pocketwatch beneath gray, leathery skin. His eyes were slanted and sharp, and his mouth was a perfect v shape. His fingers were long like measuring rulers, and his nails were pointed. Thomas, Elsa and Anthony found themselves incapable of moving as long as this person was present.

"What have we here? A pirate, a wizard, and how quaint, a snow angel," the being's clothes were black as night but billowed behind him as if they were made of smoke. He grinned and chuckled to himself. His deep, sharp voice gave goosebumps to all who heard him.

"I wonder what the ruler of Arendelle is doing here. Perhaps I'll have one of my brothers try to piece this whole thing together?" The horned man walked closer to Elsa. "I don't know who those two are, but you, oh I remember you _very, very well." _The man had grabbed one of Elsa's wrists, and her throat. "I am the Dark Lord of the Southern Isles, and lady, you just crossed the wrong bridge. The only thing you're letting go of now is your very soul." Suddenly, there was an explosion of purple magic as Tony had just blown through the cursed red barrier that held him and Thomas in place.

"Who the bloody hell are you?!" screamed Thomas as he drew two swords and jumped through the air, landing with each sword art imed centimeters away from kill spots. Anthony held out a blue and purple sparking hand, causing the horned man to be held up by his neck via magic, restraining him. The man released his hold on Elsa. Surprisingly, the nearby darkspawn made no move to intervene.

"Wait a minute... I recognize you both now. You already know who I am, King of Oz. And you, pirate? You helped kill Cora in the enchanted Forrest, you both killed her daughter, and you both killed countless members of her guard. You're more of a murderer than I! Congrats! And you'd do best to drop your magic, warlock. I've finally seen the light and made the change I should have years ago. My name, you fools, is Hans."

Anthony and Thomas briefly looked at each other in bewilderment, then back at Hans. "Why are you here, Hans?" Thomas asked. "And why throw your lot in with the darkspawn?"

"For revenge, of course. You both know the story. Years ago I tried to kill Elsa and take over her kingdom. Then her hussy of a sister foiled my plan. They sent me away in chains, humiliated and embarrassed. Then _she_ came to me..."

"Who?" Anthony demanded.

Hans pointed a finger at Elsa. "_Her_ Aunt. Well, her only surviving Aunt that is! She visited me one night, offered me a second chance. Everything I know about magic came from her. Those emissaries you see there?" He gestured an arm in their direction. "Students of hers. We share a common goal, she and I, and I _will_ see that goal fulfilled." Hans waved a hand. Sparks flickered around Thomas' head. Slowly, ever so slowly, the pirate withdrew his blades from the former prince. He then turned toward Elsa, and raised a sword to her throat. The pirate captain's face flushed read, and creases showed on his forehead. It looked to Tony as if his friend was exerting great effort, trying with all his might to resist his every movement.

"Compulsion magic," thought the wizard. "It's despicable stuff." Thomas' sword blade met Elsa's frozen skin. Face with no other choice, Anthony released his hold on Hans and cast a spirit spell on Thomas, breaking the compulsion. He then released a wave of heat that washed over Elsa, causing her to instantly thaw. She collapsed to her knees before standing back up. Thomas faced back toward Hans and kept his weapons drawn, ready for a fight.

"Nicely done, wizard," Hans said with a snicker. "I'm afraid it won't be enough, though. You're up against forces the likes of which this world has never seen. We shall meet again."

Hans disappeared in a flash of red light, leaving Thomas, Anthony and Elsa alone with a pack of thirty darkspawn. Predictably, the darkspawn immediately attacked. One of the emissaries launched a fireball at Tony, which he redirected back at the caster. The emissary shrieked and howled as the flames consumed it. Elsa unleashed a wave of ice at a large group of charging hurlocks, freezing them in place, their faces locked in permanent snarls. Thomas charged into a separate group of hurlocks, slashing away at them with his two swords. Blood sprayed from the dying beasts as the pirate's blades did their ugly work. An armored hurlock wielding a wicked axe confronted Thomas, swinging its weapon menacingly. The hurlock howled fury and charged at Thomas, who let the beast come. Just as the hurlock swung its axe downward, Thomas rolled to the right, dodging the blade, then stabbed the beast in the throat. The second emissary shot lightning bolts in Elsa's direction. The Queen dodged the lightning and fired icicles at her attacker. The emissary fell to the ground, its heart frozen solid. Tony's hands and eyes erupted in several spells, and accompanied by his friend's slashes of steel following, the last of the darkspawn were down.

The party took a moment to recover themselves. Thomas wiped his swords clean with a handkerchief, then returned them to their scabbards. Anthony wove a thread of magic and banished the blood from his clothing. Elsa, soaked from her accidental freezing, collected herself, looking down at the defeated darkspawn.

"I had feared this would happen." said Elsa, shaking her head.

"Feared what, your majesty?" Thomas asked as he stepped nearer to her.

"That Hans would seek revenge on my family. Since his exile from Arendelle, I knew it was only a matter of time before the Isles took action. We had expected a trade sanction, or perhaps an arranged marriage. Military action was indeed a possibility. The Southern Isles aren't renowned for their pacifism." She stepped back over the cliff edge, extending her arms at the horde marching through the valley. "But no one could have foreseen _this_."

Anthony nodded in agreement. "Yes. Darkspawn in this world? How? It would take immense power to open a rift large enough to bring the entire horde through. There are only a few magic-wielders alive who are even remotely capable of such a feat."

Before the conversation could continue, a roar sounded over the distant mountains. An enormous reptilian beast with scaly violet skin, a pair of bat-like wings, four muscled legs, a long spiked tail, wicked teeth and yellow eyes flew around a peak and glided low over the horde. Thomas and Anthony recognized the creature immediately. Just one day ago, the same monster had attacked the _Forsaken_. Below the darkspawn roared with cheer as their leader passed overhead.

"Your majesty," said Anthony, "meet Urthemiel, archdemon of the darkspawn horde."

"And the single greatest threat this country - nay, this world - has ever faced," Thomas added.

The archdemon climbed back into the air and gracefully banked to the east, flying in the party's direction.

"Let's... not fight another dragon today, shall we?"

"Agreed. Everyone join hands." They did. Anthony withdrew a teleportation crystal from his pocket. "Your majesty, the military camp we were bound for; what is the commander's name?"

"General Kent Harald."

Anthony smashed the delicate crystal on the rocky outcropping beneath their feet. The wizard, queen, and pirate disappeared in a flash of blue light.


	5. Chapter 5: The Plan

Harald, Anthony, Thomas, and Elsa all sat comfortably around a table inside the command tent back at the Royal Army camp. All were exhausted from the day's affairs. A map of the country lay on the table's center, with wooden figurines marking the positions of both the darkspawn horde, and the Royal Army. The General's tent was one of huge proportions and grand decor, ornate as a lord's manor. Queen Elsa stood at the window of the tent, gazing sadly out at her darkening kingdom. Slowly, just as a tear rolled and sparkled down her cheek, small snowflakes silently and gingerly fell around her shoulders and on the floor. Captain McNally watched, as his friend the wizard tapped his fingers like the hooves of horses galloping on the table. The wizard and pirate had just finished sharing what they had seen in the mountain pass, along with their encounter with Hans, now a servant of the archdemon. One would think the warm light of the flaming torches in the large sturdy tent would be enough to comfort the nerves of those who dwelled within, but alas the fire could not thaw the ice cold stress inside all of the leaders. The General slammed his fist hard on the map while boring holes into it with his gaze, startling the others.

"Good heavens Harald, what is it?!" Exclaimed The frosty Queen.

"I swear this blasted Archdemon is going to be the death of me."

"I know! I know, General, but that's why we're all here to figure out a better battle plan now that we have all experienced dealings with the beast - or at least similar creatures - and wipe away the threat once and for all. So, what have you got?"

Queen Elsa was despondent. She needed answers, she was Queen after all, why wouldn't anyone do what she asked and kill the Archdemon before it killed everyone else?

"Majesty, we have tried attacking, and this Archdemon is a force that needs to be reckoned with." It was Captain McNally who spoke." I think based on my personal experience we need to build a more suitable army. Now in my mind, we can use the weapons and tools and war equipment from the Southern Isles-" The Captain was cut off.

"Absolutely not Captain. The Southern Isles are lead by the heathen we once called Prince Hans and now we learn that he has been turned into a Darkspwan demon overlord thing! This is getting out of hand. All I wanted to do was keep my kingdom safe and-"

This time Queen Elsa was interrupted.

"And we can do that by arming ourselves more, your majesty. Your Army has muskets and cannons, the archdemon has fire, and multiple metric tons of brute weight to throw around like a battering ram! Not to mention a horde of darkspawn at its command. We must fight this thing appropriately." The Wizard King advised. Elsa thought he sounded a little rude but understood that since times were stressful for all involved.

"Mind who you're talking to," The General chimed in finally.

"Apologies, majesty," replied Tony. Anthony the Wizard suddenly had bright eyes, not glowing with magic this time, but simply wide with wonder in the astonishing moment that was his new idea for strengthening their army, and by extension increasing their chances at winning this forsaken battle. "Might I suggest requesting the aid of the Grey Wardens mad'am?" The room fell silent. Not only had the mysterious, elder, wiser sages called the Grey Wardens not been seen in a fortnight, but they were usually not friendly to those with magic. Everyone was thinking the same thing, that if anyone was dumb enough to try and find the Grey Wardens who are a very stubborn small people to start with, but that the person to find them shouldn't be magical either. And yet the most powerful wizard from Oz had just volunteered himself. What was his motive? What was a foreigner doing with knowledge of the Grey Wardens?

"So you think you are the best man for the job to not only find the Grey Wardens, but convince them that they need to relocate and help you? Some confused fat wizard who has failed at every opportunity to defeat one, old, haggard, dragon?!" The General mocked the wizard. Thomas drew a cutlass and held it at the mans back.

"One more word, and my blade interrupts your heart. Tony is the most qualified person in this room to go on a one-man mission. You insult him? You insult me, coward."

"Thank you for your loyalty Bill, you are a true brother, but no need to threaten him with a sword. This general thinks magic is silly! Even childish. Let me show you my latest toy," the wizard's fingers became engulfed in a blue cloud, as he raised his hands, and the General started shivering. His body temperature was dropping and freezing him from the inside out.

"Okkkkay, I gg get it," the general stammered over his words like a child trying to spell 'Mississippi'. Queen Elsa was growing impatient.

"Harald, don't ever talk to someone with magic like that again, and Anthony, nice spell! Just everyone calm down, okay? I like this plan. Captain McNally, go find the war equipment we need for this fight and arm us to the max! Anthony, go to wherever the Grey Wardens are and convince them to join us. General, prepare the army for war. I want every city between the capital and the darkspawn ready for a siege. We meet back here in two months!" Elsa was about to teleport away, when McNally asked her why.

"Majesty, why wait two months?

"It takes one month to travel there and back, and one month I'm giving you all to achieve your tasks! Get to it. We have no time to lose!" In a swish of snowflakes she was gone. Anthony went over to Thomas and gave him a warm tight hug.

"Stay safe, brother. If you ever need my help, just use this (he gave him a curious green crystal necklace pendant). I know it's different you don't need to wear it, that's not the purpose of it. Trust me when you need it, it'll come to you. Just promise me you will be safe, don't get hurt out there,"

"Same to you brother. Here, take this." Thomas handed him something wrapped up in a map printed on a sheet of parchment paper. This was to opened at a later time. "Thank you for always caring about me. It's comforting to know someone has your back," Thomas smiled.

"I always will," Anthony said back. The two shook hands firmly and then parted their ways. Thomas went to his ship, the _Forsaken_, and Anthony disappeared in blue lightning. Harald walked out of the tent to dispatch orders. As everyone departed, the room was only empty, for moment. Just a few minutes after it was certain that everything was sealed, there was a cracking sound, and white icicles grew upwards from the floor, sharp, cold, and pointy icicles. A cluster of them formed a doorway. When they cracked apart and melted, a blonde, middle aged woman appeared in a cream lace dress, studded with crystal gems all over like ice jewelry, Her collar was tall and had rounded points webbed and staggered standing up behind her tightly wrapped bun. Around her neck was a large five pointed snowflake, and on her head was a crown made of ice.

"You should have brought the torches with you honeys. It's about to get a hell of a lot colder around here," said Ingrid, the Snow Queen.


	6. Chapter 6: Snow Queen

"Send a rider to Arendelle," Harald said gruffly to a Captain. "By order of the Queen, the city is to prepare for a siege. Make sure that Sir Lenard is informed."

The young Captain saluted. "Right away, sir."

"Good man. See to it."

As the Captain rushed to carry out the order, Harald looked around the camp, assessing the state of his command. The battle with the dragon had put the troops in a state of shock. Never before had they faced such a foe. They had gone up against other armies, certainly, but never a creature straight out of mythology. And after the engagement, the terrifying dragon had turned out to be none other than an elderly sorceress in disguise. That had been the most baffling occurrence of all. Why would a lone sorceress turn into a dragon, make an attempt on the Queen's life, then attack the army? The wizard and pirate had tried to defeat the beast, only to disappear during the fight, leaving Harald and his troops to face the sorceress alone. The old woman was in custody now. When Harald last saw her, she was unconscious, bound hand and foot to the doctor's operating table as he stitched her wounds closed. Harald planned on putting the old broad to the question once she awoke.

Just as Harald was about to make his way over to the officer's mess, an icicle the size of a musket landed in the snow beside him, then another next to it, then another.

Harald was about middle aged, and being in the Queen's army for so long, he had seen some terrible and strange things. He felt as though his whole life had lead to this moment, a role as an officer with Elsa's armies to save the kingdom- a chance to be a hero- a chance for redemption. Suddenly, the protruding icicles made life harder. He began shivering, their presence dropped the temperature considerably. Suddenly, his vision went blurred, and then someone else approached him. The first thing he noticed, was that she was barefoot, and left a trail of black ice on the floor behind her. Her ice crown had grown intimidating, and her eyes were a beautiful dark green. Then she spoke.

"Surprise! ha ha! How was that? You know I really do enjoy a good joke. But none of the ones I have heard, are as simple minded as yourself. What are you doing with this woman?" Ingrid asked. She spoke with such an airy, whisper, breathy voice almost as if she were attempting to chill you with her speech too.

"Why would I tell you? That is top secret. I'm a General in this land, and you're a-" he was interrupted. He found it very interesting that this icy witch was interested in the sorceress they had caught earlier.

"IM A WHAT? A MONSTER?" She asked, raising her hand and slowly freezing his skin to be as cold as solid ice. "

"Kill me or release me," She could discern from his shivering voice.

"No, no I have a better idea. Are you familiar with the Troldan Glass?" Harald shook his head no.

"It's an ancient Norse Legend one that you probably don't even know is real. All you need to know, is that there once was a King, who fell madly in love with a beautiful magical woman. He created for her a mirror, hoping to reflect her beauty to his kingdom so they could share in the joy she made him feel. But when the mirror was delivered, she fell ill, and died suddenly. So instead of showing her beauty, the mirror reflected the ugliness of his depression, and drove him to madness. This," She held a shard in her hand of a mirror, and showed him. "Is just one fragment from that mirror... My, mirror. You're going to be loyal to me, and only me. Because with this, I can cast the spell of shattered sight. What do you love in this world Harald? Is it?" She released her ice spell, and instead created ice shackles around his wrists, chaining him to the ground before her.

"I love my country, if you must know. And my new friends."

"Oh hahah! Yes your new friends, the ones who didn't pick you to join them on their new adventures? They don't love you because they don't understand you. And you know what happens when people don't understand you? They fear you and then they see you as a monster! For me, it's true!" She flicked a wrist, a then the mirror shard immediately turned into tiny fractures of mirror shard, and floated from her palm, to Harald's eyes. He was unable to close them, and the shards seemed to create cracks in his pupils. He began to feel faint,and collapsed on the ground. The Snow Queen turned on her bare heel, and grinned. Before she vanished in a cracked icicle, Harald saw her duck inside the surgeon's tent.

When Harald woke up, he was alone in his tent, lying on his bed. Someone must have carried him inside. He felt different this time, though. Changed. He kept breathing heavy, his heart was racing, and he was angry. He hated Sir Leonard, he hated that stupid wizard but most of all he hated that Captain. He bolted from the tent, saddled his horse and rode out of the camp, hurrying north to find Sir Leonard, and kill him.


End file.
